The Boston Celtics are the surprising leaders in the weak Atlantic Division, giving them an inside track to at least the number four seed in the playoffs, and the team could become more dangerous once injured All-Star Rajon Rondo returns from nearly a year-long hiatus.
With Rondo currently preparing for his season debut, most of his Celtics teammates are lending a hand by staying longer after practice for extended scrimmages to help the do-it-all guard test his knee in game-like conditions according to ESPN.com.
The commitment of the Celtics players to assist in the rehabilitation of their star point guard is commendable as first-year coach Brad Stevens is known to conduct short practices because he wants his players to stay fresh over the course of the season.
The Celtics held practice on Friday with some of Rondo's teammates joining him in a five-on-five scrimmage afterwards. One of those who participated in the post-practice scrimmage was starter Jared Sullinger, who believes that Rondo is a few weeks away from returning to the court.
"I'm biased, so I think he looks good," said Sullinger as quoted by ESPN.com. "I'm just glad to see him back out there after all the tough times he had with the knee surgery and just trying to fight back and with rehab. It's just good to see him out there. I think the main reason why I stepped out there was to try to build his confidence and his conditioning back. So that when he is back on the court, he's back to 100 percent."
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